Sevastopol is the largest non-freezing commercial and fishing Black Sea port of Ukraine and one of the major industrial, scientific, and cultural centres of the country and Eastern Europe in general.

Located on the site of the ancient Greek colony, Khersonesus, the city itself and the Black Sea Fleet, based in Sevastopol, have occupied a prominent place in Russian and Soviet history.

Governed by the laws of Ukraine, the city has a special "directly governed" status (unlike other Crimean cities it is directly subordinate to the central Ukrainian government, not the Crimean authorities). The only other city in Ukraine with the same status is the capital, Kiev. Legislative authority - the City Assembly consisting of elected deputies. Executive authority - city administration.

The whole city is one big museum, with over 1,800 monuments and memorials. Among them are Russian, Ukrainian, Armenian, British, French, Georgian, German, Greek, Italian, Jewish, and other historic sites such as the world-famous Khersonesus, Panorama of the Heroic Defence of Sevastopol during the 1854-1855 Crimean War, diorama Storm of Sapun Mountain on May 7, 1944, British Crimean Military Memorial, etc.

Sevastopol is annually visited by more than 500,000 tourists.

Advantageous geographical situation of the city, its favourable natural climatic conditions, as well as the availability of highly developed industrial, scientific, and human resources make the Sevastopol region one of the most promising international tourist, commercial, and industrial centres of Europe.